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Primary 6: Fianaid – “Miserable Moose”
Dave Ramsay, September 2009
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Dave’ poem/song records the story of the great whale, harpooned in the Tay in January 1884, the dramatic part played by Gourdon fishermen and their boats in towing the whale to Stonehaven harbour and the exciting events thereafter, including an auction and the returning of the whale to Dundee for butchering.
From the whaling port of Dundee, this tale I have to tell, ‘Bout how upon a New Year’s day, there was spied a great big whale. She was harpooned in the Tay, and escaped to open sea, In eighteen eighty four, all in the month of January.
Chorus She was seventy eight feet long, frae her nose doon tae her tail, She weighed mair than sixteen tons, that was the Great Tay Whale.
The next time she was spotted she was just off Bervie Brow, The Gourdon boat the Olive Branch tried to take her in tae tow. Alex Ritchie was the skipper, who tried to claim the prize. And tow the whale tae Catterline or maybe tae Stanehive.
Chorus
A south westerly was blowing into a dreadful gale. The Esk and Guiding Star, they got a line across her tail. The three skippers they did battle tae tow the great big whale, For hours they rowed and towed, and for Stanehive tacked their sails.
Chorus
Now Skipper Charlie Ritchie frae aff the Guiding tar, And the skipper o’ the Olive Branch was ca’d Alicky Bar, Auld John Cargill frae aff the Esk were the three the harbour breached, To tow the great Tay Whale tae port, tae South Harbour tae be beached.
Chorus
‘Twas a week o’ great excitement since the whale came intae view, The fowk they flocked frae Laurencekkrk, Montrose and Brechin too, Rom Stanehive doon tae Dundee, some came doon frae Peterheid, Tae glimpse the great leviathan, now lying beached and deid.
Chorus
Now an altercation did ensue, ‘tween Coastguard and the Crew, The whale it wis Crown property, that wis the coastguard’s view, But the crewmen they protested that the whale was found at sea, And rightly did they claim the whale as their bounty from the sea.
Chorus
